A vs. An: How to Use Indefinite Articles A and An Correctly • 7ESL (2024)

When speaking or writing in English, you will notice that there are two forms of the indefinite article, ‘a’ and ‘an’, but which one should you use and when? In this section, we are going to be studying the two forms of the indefinite article as a way of gaining a greater understanding of their use. By the end of the section, you will be confident in choosing whether to use ‘a’ or ‘an’ in your spoken and written English.

Learnhow to use indefinite articles A and An correctly in English with 13 useful grammar rules and example sentences.

A or An: Understanding the Basic

Key Takeaways

• Use ‘a’before words that begin with a consonantsound. For example: a cat, a game, or a university (university starts with a ‘y’ sound, which is a consonant).
• Use ‘an’before words that begin with a vowelsound. For instance: an apple, an honor, an hour (honor and hour start with a silent ‘h’, thus the first sound is the vowel ‘o’).

Defining ‘A’ vs. ‘An’

The wordsaandanare called indefinite articles. We can use them with singular nouns to talk about any single person or thing. Deciding which indefinite article to place in front of a word depends upon the initial sound of the word, not the first letter of the word.

Using ‘A’ vs. ‘An’

When to Use “A”

‘A’ is used before words beginning with a consonant sound. For example:

• A man
• A hat
• A lamp
• A teacher
• A cat
• A book
• …

When to Use “AN”

The article ‘an’ should be placed before words that begin with a vowel sound. The initial sound should be a, e, i, o, or u. For example:

• An apple
• An egg
• An island
• An article
• An umbrella
• An hour
• …

How to Use A vs. An – Image 1

How to Use A vs. An – Image 2

A vs. An | 13 Rules for UsingIndefinite Articles

Rule #1:

‘A’ must be used before words which begin with a vowel symbol pronounced with the same sound as the ‘y’ or a ‘w’-likesound. For example:

• A Euro
• A unicycle
• A union,
• A unique
• A united
• A university
• A user
• A unicorn
• …

Rule #2:

Sometimes, ‘an’ is found before words beginning with the letter ‘h’.

Silent ‘h’ : ‘an’ is used before these words. For example:

• An hour
• An honor
• An heir
• An heirloom
• An hourly
• An honorarium
• An honesty
• An honorary
• …

But this practice is going out. If ‘h’ is pronounced, ‘a’ is used:

• A hamburger
• A hall
• A hat
• A hacksaw
• A horse
• A house
• …

Rule #3:

We use ‘an’ before abbreviations that begin with vowel sound. For example:

• An M.A.
• An M.Sc.
• An M.B.B.S.
• An M.L.A.
• An N.C.C Officer
• An M.Com.
• An M.C.A
• An M.B.A
• …

Rule #4:

Aor an must be used before a singular noun standing for things that can be counted. For example:

• He was sitting in a chair.
• She had a bottle in each hand.
• Did you bring an umbrella?
• I would like an apple.

Rule #4:

Aor an must be used before the names of professions. For example:

• She is a director.
• Peter is an actor.

Rule #6:

Words like hero, genius, fool, thief, and liar take the indefinite article. For example:

• We all regarded him as a hero.
• I suspect he is a thief.

Rule #7:

The following word has indefinite article. Such+ a/an + noun (or)Such + a/an + adjective + noun. For example:

• Such a policy
• Such a long trip
• Such agreat teacher
• Such an attractive woman

Rule #8:

The following word has indefinite article. so + adjective + a/an + noun. For example:

• So boring a book
• So beautiful an actress

Rule #9:

‘Few’ and ‘Little’ are negative meaning. ‘A few’ and ‘a little’ are positive and mean ‘some‘. For example:

• He is young and has little experience of life.
• Sweeten the mixture with a little honey.
• He had few coppers in his pocket.
• I went to spend a few days at the seaside.

Rule #10:

In its original numerical sense of one. For example:

• Notaword was said.
• Twelve inches makeafoot.
• Abird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• I havea novel with an intricate plot.

Rule #11:

Aan = one thing or person. For example:

• She worksin a hospital.
• There’s a problem with the drains.
• I’ve got a puppy.
• Therewas a girl sitting next to him.

Rule #12:

We use aan when we say what a thing or a person is. For example:

• “Coca Cola” is a beverage.
• Badminton is an indoor game.
• A dog is a domestic animal.
• Mary is a shy girl.

Rule #13:

We use a an for jobs, etc. For example:

• She works as a nurse in a hospital.
• John is a fireman.
• I want to be a doctor.
• She is a cashier in a bank.

Note: The indefinite articles are not used before plural nouns, proper nouns, abstract nouns, uncountable and material nouns. For example:

• A dog is a faithful animal.
• Dogs are faithful animals.

Rules for Using Articles A vs. An – Image 3

A or An: Examples in Sentences

Examples of “A” in Sentences

1. She adoptedadog from the shelter.
2. He isauniversity professor.
3. It’saone-time offer.
4. She tookaEuropean vacation last summer.
5. I sawaunicorn in my dream.

Examples of “An” in Sentences

1. She ateanapple for lunch.
2. It wasanhonor to meet the author.
3. He hasanMBA from Harvard.
4. They foundanold coin in the garden.
5. I needanhour to finish this task.

Exercises to Learn the Difference

Determine if the usage of “a” or “an” is correct.

1. She has a unique perspective on the matter. (True/False)
2. It’s an honor to meet you. (True/False)
3. He is a honest man. (True/False)
4. I need an umbrella because it’s raining. (True/False)
5. That’s an interesting idea. (True/False)
6. I saw a elephant at the zoo. (True/False)
7. She made an mistake in the calculation. (True/False)
8. It takes a hour to get there by train. (True/False)
9. He gave me a apple from his garden. (True/False)
10. It was an historic event for the company. (True/False)

Answers:

1. True
2. True
3. False (Correct usage: “an honest man”)
4. True
5. True
6. False (Correct usage: “an elephant”)
7. False (Correct usage: “a mistake”)
8. False (Correct usage: “an hour”)
9. False (Correct usage: “an apple”)
10. True (Note: Both “a historic” and “an historic” are used, depending on whether the “h” is pronounced or not. “An” is often used when the “h” is silent, but “a” is used when the “h” is pronounced.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it “a unicorn” or “an unicorn”?We use “a” before words where the initial sound is a consonant or consonant-like sound. Even though “unicorn” starts with a vowel, the first sound is “yoo,” which is a consonant sound, so it’s “a unicorn.”

Do we say “a one-time” or “an one-time”?It might be tricky because “one” starts with ‘o’, a vowel. But as “one” starts with the “w” sound, we say “a one-time” event.

Why do we use “an” before “honor” but “a” before “hotel”?Words beginning with ‘h’ can be pronounced differently. If the ‘h’ is silent and the word starts with a vowel sound, like “honor,” we use “an.” If the ‘h’ is pronounced, like in “hotel,” we use “a.”

Are abbreviations treated differently?Yes, with abbreviations, we pay attention to the sound of the first letter when it’s read aloud. For example, “an MBA” (em-bee-ay) because it starts with a vowel sound, and “a NASA project” (en-ay-ess-ay) because it starts with a consonant sound.

• Is it “a user” or “an user”?
  • We say “a user” because the ‘u’ in “user” makes a ‘yoo’ sound, similar to “a unicorn.”
• What about words that start with ‘eu’?
  • Typically, words that start with ‘eu’ tend to have a ‘yoo’ sound, so we use “a,” like in “a eulogy.”

Make a note that it’s the sound and not the first letter of the word that’s important when deciding to use “a” or “an”!

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